The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see
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The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see resource for landlubbers and mariners alike.

Carol Gafford is a public librarian, family historian, amateur archivist and book savior. She is currently the youth services/outreach librarian at the Swansea Public Library and volunteers for several museum and historical societies including the Marine Museum at Fall River, the Swansea Historical Society and the Bristol Historical and Preservation society. She is the editor of Past Times, the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists and is always looking for a new project to take on.

WALTHAM – MarShon Brooks remembers the first time he put on a Boston Celtics cap as a professional basketball player two years ago.

It was the night of the 2011 draft, and Brooks was just announced as the team’s No. 25 overall pick in the first round. After averaging 24.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with Providence College the previous season, he was immediately looking forward to heading an hour north to continue his career at the next level.

"I was actually having an interview about playing with the Big 3 and (Rajon) Rondo," he recalled. "Then it was like, ‘Whoa, you’ve been traded.’"

The Celtics traded the rights to the high-scoring shooting guard in a deal where they acquired the No. 27 pick they used on Purdue power forward JaJuan Johnson. Brooks went on to average 12.6 points per game as a rookie with the New Jersey Nets, while Johnson played sparingly for the Celtics and was shipped to the Houston Rockets in the Courtney Lee sign-and-trade last summer.

Houston later cut Johnson, who played most of last year in the D-League. He played last week for the Detroit Pistons in the Orlando Summer League, while Brooks was preparing to head to Boston as part of the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce blockbuster that became official Friday.

Two years after first calling his name, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge admitted during a Monday press conference that he finally got the man he should have just stuck with all along on that draft night.

"MarShon is playing in the NBA, and the guy that we drafted is not right now," Ainge said. "MarShon, at the time, was not at a position where we really needed help, but we had followed him closely at Providence, and through his NBA career. We’re excited to have him here."

In a deal where Boston sent four players to the Nets, and got back five players and three draft picks, Brooks might be the one promising player in the deal who is still actually with the Celtics at the end of their rebuilding process after the salaries of Keith Bogans, Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace are eventually spun off for younger assets and more draft picks.

Despite Brooks’ gaudy scoring numbers, he had his detractors coming out of Providence. His defensive commitment was widely questioned, as was his shot selection.

But he said both aspects of his game have improved in two years in the league that have been motivating and humbling.

"I just got a lot smarter in my decisions and the shots that I take," he said. "I think I came a long way even from my rookie year to my sophomore year. At times, I would settle for jumpers too much. I think I did a better job my sophomore year finishing around the rim. It was a very small sample size, but I shot better. I feel I am still getting better."

He looked like he was going to be one of the steals of the 2011 draft after his rookie year, but his growth became stymied last season when the Nets acquired All-Star guard Joe Johnson and Brooks’ minutes dropped from nearly 30 a game to 12:30, and his points per game tumbled from 12.6 to 5.4.

"This year didn’t go the year I wanted it to go as far as production," Brooks said. "But I picked up a lot of things. I learned a lot about myself. This offseason, I am one of the most motivated players in the league. I can’t really think of many people that have been working harder than me. So when the ball is rolled out, I’ll be ready to go.

"It’s a situation I never want to go through again, to say the least," he later added. "I just don’t like being on the bench. I’m just going to work as hard as possible to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

While Ainge said on Monday the team has a "logjam at shooting guard" – although it soon alleviated a bit of that logjam when it cut Kris Joseph, also acquired in the Nets deal – Brooks sees an opportunity for himself in Boston in a backcourt mix with Avery Bradley and Rondo.

"You know what you’re going to get from both of those guys," Brooks said. "They’re tough, hard-nosed guys. Avery’s one of the best defenders on the ball in the league. Rondo’s very underrated on the ball as well and has great anticipation. He likes to get people involved, make his teammates look good, so I’m looking forward to knocking down some open shots."

And now he’ll finally get to knock them down for the franchise that first called his name on draft night.

"You don’t really have to follow the Celtics (to know about the Celtics)," he said. "If you’re an NBA fan, the Celtics are going to be on television. Mostly, they’re winning championships.

"Obviously, they picked up a lot of media (when I was) in college when the Big 3 came here. I just know the Celtics because I’m a big basketball fan. They have a storied tradition. They have so many greats that it’s hard for me to pick a number."

Brooks wound up picking No. 12. Ironically, it’s the same number Johnson wore in his one season in Boston.

"MarShon is a guy we drafted," Ainge said, "or should have drafted. He made us look bad."

Now, he will get a chance to make Ainge look good for righting a wrong two years after the fact.

Scott Souza covers the Boston Celtics for the MetroWest Daily News and GateHouse Media. He can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @scott_souza.